Hypothyroidism and an underactive thyroid gland connection

With hypothyroidism, your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of certain important hormones. Low levels of thyroid hormone can interfere with the release of an egg from your ovary (ovulation), which impairs fertility. In addition, some of the underlying causes of hypothyroidism — such as certain autoimmune or pituitary disorders — may impair fertility.

For women, treating hypothyroidism is an important part of any effort to correct infertility. If infertility remains after hypothyroidism has been corrected, other interventions to treat infertility may be needed.

If you have hypothyroidism and hope to become pregnant, work with your doctor to make sure your hypothyroidism is under control. Seek additional help from an infertility specialist Dr Rama Sofat.

If you have hypothyroidism and become pregnant, tell your doctor promptly. Close monitoring of your thyroid hormone level during pregnancy can promote normal fetal development and reduce the risk of miscarriage.

Evaluating your infertility
If you've tried unsuccessfully to get pregnant, your doctor will help you decide your next steps. First, you'll have an evaluation that determines whether there's something besides endometriosis affecting your fertility as explained by Dr Rama Sofat ( IVF EXPERT ). Other factors can include:

Problems with producing and releasing an egg (ovulation)

Uterus abnormalities
Cervix abnormalities
Sperm abnormalities in men
Conservative surgery

Medications commonly used to manage endometriosis, such as hormones, don't necessarily improve fertility. Your doctor might suggest surgery to:

Ease pain
Understand how advanced your endometriosis is
Remove excess endometrial tissue growth that might block sperm from reaching the egg

Assisted reproductive therapy
If conservative surgery doesn't work or you have severe endometriosis, then you can undergo undergo through assisted reproductive therapy (ART). These fertility treatments include:

Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
This procedure uses a long, narrow tube to insert collected sperm inside the uterus. This can increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Superovulation
This therapy involves medications that stimulate the egg production. When combined with IUI, it can help treat endometriosis-related infertility.

In vitro fertilization (IVF)
In this procedure, a doctor retrieves egg and sperm samples from the couple. Then, the samples are joined together in a laboratory, where they form an embryo. There's another procedure to implant the embryo inside the uterus.